Kanybek Osmonaliev

History in Color:
May 12, 1980, Moscow, Russia – Olympic champion Kanybek Osmonaliev competes in the 52kg class for the Burevestnik Club of Frunze, Kirgizia at the 1980 USSR championship in Moscow.

Kanybek Osmonaliev (b. 1953) was a phenomenal flyweight of Team CCCP. From mid 1970s to mid 1980s, he won the 1980 Olympics, 4 World championships, 2 European Championships and 2 USSR Championships. Besides the medals and results, he was an outstanding athlete – a hardworker in training, a clutch lifter in the competition and an exemplary character.

If you asked me at the time when I was an aspiring weightlifter, Kanybek Osmonaliev was on the very top of the list of my favorite Olympic weightlifters. That’s for sure – Kanybek Osmonaliev was a pure inspiration and #1 for me.